“The Strength of the Indian Nation Is In Their Women,
No Nation Is a Nation Unless There Are Women to Bear the Children of the Future”
DECLARATION OF THE NUU-CHAH-NULTH WOMEN
Nuu-chah-nulth Women, givers of life, are Mothers, Daughters, Grandmothers, Granddaughters, Aunts, Nieces, Sisters, Teachers and Friends.
We treasure the values and traditions we have been taught; they have sustained us during the many changes throughout history;
We take pride in our culture, heritage and traditions, and we honor and respect our Elders and their teachers;
We are responsible for the health and safety of our children and our families, and we seek to ensure that our children will always be protected;
We believe in the strength of our family ties, and assert our right to always retain the love of our immediate and extended families;
We have the right to be respected in spirit, mind, and body and to live free from sexual, physical, verbal and emotional abuse;
We have the right to love and be loved, care and be cared for, protect and are protected;
We have the right to be heard and to be treated as partners in our relationships with family and friends;
We have the right to be individuals, to make our own choices and to pursue our personal goals;
We respect ourselves, and we will be respected;
We will teach our children by example, and we will ensure the well-being of future generations of Nuu-chah-nulth is not jeopardized in any way;
We recognize changes in our society, and we will call upon our strengths to live with those changes in a manner consistent with our traditions and values;
We will maintain integrity and pride in being Nuu-chah-nulth Women.
“Honoring and Respecting Our Women”
Adopted at the 1989 Nuu-chah-nulth Annual Assembly
